Monday, June 29, 2015

NEWS | UK Says Argentine Plan to Seize Falklands Oil Driller Assets 'Unlawful' | Rigzone: "Britain said on Monday any attempt by Argentina to seize the assets of oil drillers operating in the disputed Falkland Islands would be unlawful after Buenos Aires said it would pursue a local judge's order against six firms.
On Saturday, a federal judge in Tierra del Fuego ordered the seizure of $156 million in bank accounts, boats and other property belonging to six European and U.S. oil companies operating in the islands.
Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman was quoted in the local press on Sunday as saying his country intended to pursue the case as part of its claim to the islands' sovereignty, something Britain rejects outright.
"We have always been very clear that this is an unlawful assertion of jurisdiction over the Falklands Islands' continental shelf, which we reject, and we will raise it with the appropriate authorities," a spokeswoman for Britain's Foreign Office said, when asked how London would react.
"We are satisfied that the islands have the right to develop their hydrocarbons sector as a legitimate commercial venture with international oil and gas companies, and will continue to support them as they move forward. Argentine domestic law does not apply to the Falkland Islands.""